Election official Tom Fleury swears in his volunteer assistants before the start of voting in Vermont's presidential primary at the Robert Miller Community and Recreation Center in Burlington on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS

A sign for Republican presidential candidate Gov. John Kasich of Ohio is planted at the entrance of the Orchard School, a South Burlington, Vt., polling station, on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Aki Soga/Free Press

A sign for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is one of the few signs of the primary at the entrance of the Orchard School, a South Burlington, Vt., polling station, on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. Aki Soga/Free Press

Marlene O'Brien raises her arm to celebrate the announcement of Hillary Clinton's win of Georgia's Democratic primary. O'Brien's sister, Jeanette O'brien, smiles about the results. Both sisters attended a Super Tuesday house party for Clinton supporters in Burlington, Vermont, on March 1, 2016. EMILIE STIGLIANI/FREE PRESS

No one should doubt Bernie Sanders’ resolve to see his presidential bid through to Democratic National Convention, or the Vermont senator’s capacity to run a savvy campaign.

The polls and pundits give Sanders virtually no chance of winning the nomination. But the democratic socialist is no stranger to running against the odds. The vitality of the Sanders campaign is flying far above his chances of besting Hillary Clinton, and he has little reason to drop out now.

Candidates often end their presidential campaigns if they fail to win any states or if they run out of money.

As of Friday, Sanders can claim five wins and at least three near misses so far, enough to make an argument for staying in the race. As far as money is concerned, he has broken a string of fundraising records, pulling in more than $40 million in February alone.

Looking beyond the Democratic contests in Kansas,Louisiana and Nebraska on Saturday, Sanders must do well in the Maine caucus today and the Michigan primary on Tuesday.

Super Tuesday gave Sanders enough to claim victory, taking four of 11 contests taking place that day on the Democratic side. The candidate played the night for all it was worth.

The senator from Vermont was declared the projected winner of his home state primary almost the moment the polls closed. The quick returns allowed Sanders to be the first to deliver his “victory" speech, to the thousands of supporters gathered for a rally at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction.

By taking the stage before the results of other state primaries and caucuses were known, Sanders had little competition for news coverage from other candidates — Democrat and Republican — who would wait until results from other states came in later in the night.

Sanders faces a tough road ahead. The final tally from Tuesday showed the candidate falling further behind Clinton in the number of delegates needed toward nomination.

Pundits dismissed Sanders almost as soon as he announced he was running for president nearly a year ago. Sanders was met with a fresh round of political obituaries declaring his campaign over after Super Tuesday.

Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver had an answer to naysayers Wednesday morning: “I know some people are ready to write this campaign off as a message campaign, but this is a campaign to win.”

The candidate himself often has warned against underestimating him or his supporters. Nobody should be surprised to see Sanders still standing when the last primary vote is counted.

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